180 Canberra-Sydney Visited(with Robbins) the cartographic section of National Mapping, where Frank Wells showed me the latest they have on New Guinea. There are only drainage base maps made from air photos for use of the C.S.I.R.O. surveys. There is nothing in reports we had in the U.S. that new topographic maps of the Highlands would soon be published in Australia. Other C.S.I.R.O. men met: Christian, head of Land Research and Regional Survey and leader of the first field parties in New Guinea; J.C. (Jack) Saunders, Forester or forest botanist with the New Guinea party; R.A. Perry, botanist with Northern Territory survey; Storey, recently arrived South African ecologist, with Hunter River survey. Thursday, January 21. Called at U.S. Embassy, where an 11 o'clock appointment did not allow much time for all the inquiries which were made of me. Talked with Political Officer (Bob) Hoey, a woman assistant whose name I did not catch, and a young fellow named Caldwell. Hoey and friend of Phil Spalding, who stayed with him early in the week. Much interested in political feeling in New Guinea. None of the political officers has visited there. Features of the chancellery were marines in uniform, female help with apparently not much to do, and entrance and exit of motor traffic right to left, in the American way. My hotel full of distinguished looking people gathered for farewell functions to the retiring Governor General, Field Marshal Slim. Left Canberra by Fokker prop-jet (TAA) at 1:08, arrived Sydney 1:50. Country almost entirely covered by cloud. It is clearly seen from the air, by relic stands, how the original rather dense savanna forests of the Canberra highlands and neighboring N.S. Wales have been replaced by treeless grasslands or grasslands with a scattered park-like stand of Eucalyptus trees. Change brought about by ring-barking the trees for pasture improvement. Hoey remarked on the good reputation that A.E. has in New Guinea. Friday, January 22. Morning spent at Australian Museum. Talked for most part with Allen Keast, Curator of Birds and Reptiles. His docorat thesis (Harvard) on bird speciation in Australia is about to be published at Harvard. Aggressive young chap with very active mind, who may be expected to go a long way. Has recently returned from a 10-day field trip with Ernst Mayr. Impressed with Ernsts' field knowledge and quick ability to recognize birds on sight and sound. Keast hopes soon to do a study of bird speciation in Europe. Should not be surprised if he does not stay long at the Australian Museum. After Keast, Marlow seemed insipid and unsure of himself. Also talked with D.F. McMichael (molluscs), G.P. Whitley (fishes), (retired), and Harold Cogger (herps). McMichael did field work in New Guinea in 1957 and is much interested in the still largely unknown N.G. land shells; many more spp. there than in Australian continent. Cogger gave further information on the difficulty the Australian Museum has had in getting herps out of West Australia. The obstruction is from one Fraser, in Perth. The Museum permit came through after 3-4 months delay. It was for monthly live shipments of some small lizard on which Cogger was doing life history and breeding studies. The study had to be dropped for want of materials.